By the Numbers: 5 Crochet Records to Break

Susie Hewer, world record holder who knits and crochets while running marathons

The January / February 2012 issue of Crochet Today (also known as The Music Issue) has a number of great patterns and I’d see it’s worth picking up if you don’t have a copy. This month the magazine wraps up with an article by Marina Salume sharing five of the top record breaking numbers in the world of crochet.

1. Longest Crochet Chain Made While Running

I knew about this world record won by Susie Hewer. She’s a marathon runner who runs to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. She gets attention for knitting and crochet while she runs. In 2010 she crocheted a 253 foot long chain while running the London Marathon.

2. Longest Crochet Chain Overall

Hewer’s feat is definitely impressive but her marathon-based crochet chain is miniature compared to the longest ever hand-crocheted chain. That record goes to Anne Vanier-Drussel who made the Guinness World Records for it in 2009 with a chain that’s eighty miles in length.

3. World’s Fastest Crocheter

This is one of the most competitive titles I know of in the world of record breaking crochet. It’s currently held by Lisa Gentry who crocheted 5,113 stitches in 30 minutes in 2005. How many stitches can you make in half an hour? Dare you to try it!

4. Most Crocheters in One Place

The National NeedleArts Association held a Stich n Pitch event at a New York Mets game in 2010 and they had 427 crocheters all stitching away at once.

5. Largest Crochet Blanket

Daphne O’Connor took two years to crochet the world’s largest blanket, completing the work in 2007. The blanket is 38 feet across and 81 feet in length.

If you were going to try to break one of these records, which one would you go for?